Late summer sights

Summer, always too soon, comes to an end. In exactly 10 days, I'll be back at my small college on the hill for a faculty retreat, and then the week after for Orientation activities, and then the week after that classes begin. The break always feels like it ends way too quickly but more so this summer for me because I worked a lot of the time. Still, it's a privilege to have so much time off at any point and still have a job so there's no complaining.

I love summer in Ohio, especially the treats it yields of peaches, cherries, corn, tomatoes, and all the other fresh wonders we can get at different farmers' or fruit markets. It's a real treat. The sights are also lovely, especially when the grass is verdant and the hay bales are ready, like this field near my small college on the hill. I drive by this place day in, and day out, but recently I decided to stop and take the picture. The photograph doesn't do it justice but at least it gives a bit of a sense of the beautiful sights of summer in Ohio.

In other exciting news, the work I did this summer will go to help cover the costs of partially remodeling our old kitchen, and we chose this granite for our new countertops. I've heard that granite is no longer considered au courant but we certainly don't care. It's lovely and it will replace old and warped formica so it'll be, for us, a huge improvement.

The apples, which are fall's gift in Ohio, are not in season but there are early apples that did make for a good pie. The peppers are all from our vegetable garden, and the peach cobblers are also staples in our house in late summer.

But the best thing about summer is the slow pace of the warm, sunny days, when not much happens. Those are the days when Lizzy and Chiquita take advantage of the comfy couch and nap the day away. An example I try to follow, now and then, whenever I can.